The Protector
by MeEkO93
Summary: It is Edward Cullen's job to protect Jacob Black from harm. Jacob grows up knowing Edward as his best friend, the vampire. This is a look at what happens during their friendship. Will it develop into something more as Jacob gets older? Edward/Jacob
1. Chapter 1

**This was inspired by a story I just read. It was such an adorable idea that I wanted to try it and see where it goes. XD**

Little Jacob Black lay awake that night. His 7 year old mind only remembered vague details of the recent afternoon's events. He remembered playing in the outter part of the woods behind his house, like he always did, when a beautiful woman seemed to fall from out of the sky and landed right in front of him. She had fire-red hair and really white skin. Being the friendly kid he always was, Jacob greeted her.

"Hi," he said, his white smile glowing on his tan face.

"Hello," the woman practically purred. Jacob noticed the color of her eyes, crimson red, and he got the feeling that this wasn't a nice person. He started backing up. He saw the woman smell the air, and her eyes seemed to get brighter. She looked at Jacob and licked her lips slowly.

Jacob began to panic. He turned around and started sprinting to get out of the woods, desperate to see his red house, because then he would know he was safe.

Jacob couldn't recall what happened next, or maybe he simply refused to believe what he saw, because what happened next would have traumatized any 7 year old child.

A man seemed to be flying. He flew right over Jacob's head, almost like an animal and smashed right against the red-haired woman. She crouched and growled at him, her words sounded like a hiss.

"Get away from me, Cullen. I'm doing this for the good of vampires. Can't you understand that?"

"I won't let you kill an innocent child, Victoria," the man said.

Jacob's head was reeling. Did that lady just say something about vampires? Did he just say she wanted to kill him? He couldn't move. He was petrified.

Without realizing what exactly had happened, Jacob saw two hands, crawling on the forest floor. His scream got caught in his throat, tears were pouring out of his eyes. He stumbled his way forward, not sure where he was going. He just wanted to get away. Breathless sobs were coming out of his chest. Then Jacob suddenly smelt something, kind of like smoke.

"Mom," he heaved. "Dad!" He knew nobody could hear him.

White, strong arms wrapped around him, and scooped him up. He barely had time to scream before he was behind his house.

"Shh," the man said. "I won't hurt you."

Jacob wiped the tears out of his eyes and looked at his rescuer. He had bronze, messy hair, and gold eyes that were staring intently on his own. Jacob trusted him, for some reason he couldn't explain.

"You're safe now," he whispered. "Go inside. You mustn't tell anyone what happened. Do you understand?"

Jacob nodded dumbly, not knowing what to think.

"I will talk to your father myself," he looked around hurriedly, then back at Jacob. "Quickly, get inside." he said.

Not needing to be told a third time, Jacob bolted inside, and went straight to the safety of his room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Billy Black was quite surprised to be called by the Cullen family, and when they met at the borderline into Forks, he was horrified to hear what had happened to his son earlier that day.

"How could you let this happen?" he thundered, smashing his fist on the hood of his truck. "Can't you see the damn future?" he asked Alice Cullen, venom in his voice. "You should've seen it, and warned us! Why was she even here? What did she want?"

Carlisle was patient with Mr. Black, knowing that his anger came from the love he had for his son. "Mr. Black, Alice only saw what was going to happen a matter of minutes before it did. Victoria must have made a split-second decision. The second we understood what was coming, we sent Edward to find Jacob. We were fortunate to get there in time." His calming voice seemed to have some effect on Billy's rage, or maybe it was that blonde one, using his weird supernatural powers to calm him down.

"But what did she want?" he pressed.

"She told me that she was doing this for the good of all vampires," Edward said, almost as calm and patient as the doctor. "Her thoughts told me that she had planned on killing all of the werewolves in Washington, at least the ones she knew of. Knowing that your son will become a werewolf in the future because of his Quiluete ancestry..." Edward trailed off.

Billy stood there, his back rigid. He knew that vampires and werewolves were enemies, but he and the Cullens had always been on good terms, and gratitude suddenly rushed through him.

"I am forever grateful to you, Edward. Hell, to all of you. I'm sorry for, uh, losing my temper," he looked down at the dent he made in the hood of his truck.

"That's quite alright. We understand," said Carlisle. "However, there is one matter we need to discuss."

"What is it?" Billy asked.

"Well," Edward began, "she has two accomplices that we know of. Their names are James and Laurent. I believe that they have the same intention, and they will only get angrier once they find out that Victoria is dead. Our concern is for Jacob's safety."

"What should we do?" Billy asked, his black eyes flitting to all of them, panic apparent in his expression. There was a moment of silence, of thought on how to best handle the situation.

"I would do it, Carlisle," Edward said, responding to one of the elder's thoughts.

"Do what?" Billy demanded.

"Would you be totally against having a vampire in your company?" Carlisle asked, amusement apparent in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Billy said tentatively asked.

"My idea is to have Edward there, as sort of a guardian, if you will, for your son. Of course we would all be watching out for him, but Edward would be the primary protector."

Billy contemplated. The notion sounded kind of creepy to him, to be quite honest-having a vampire constantly watching them. He nearly shuddered at the thought. Edward laughed at that.

"Perhaps it would be better if I presented myself as a friend to Jacob, an older brother of sorts, so it wouldn't be as... unnerving," he chuckled. After a moment of quiet, he went on in a thoughtful voice: "I think it would be better if he knew what we are- he probably has an idea already, because of what happened earlier... but we don't need to tell him _why _we're always there."

"Hmmm.. that sounds good. What do you say, Mr. Black?" Carlisle asked.

Billy felt like he was suffocating. He sputtered madly, not quite liking the idea, but also not seeing any other options.

"Oh, alright," he sighed in defeat. All that mattered was that his son was safe.

"Then we have a deal," Carlisle said, holding out his hand.

Billy held out his. "Deal," he mumbled.

**This will be an Edward/Jacob romance, but you must be patient! Tell me what you think so far :)**


	2. Chapter 2

What had I gotten myself into? I knew nothing about kids, and yet I volunteer to watch over one for the majority of the time. I didn't think it through when I told Carlisle I would do this; Honestly, I just thought of it as something to do with my time. It didn't occur to me last night that I would actually have to, well, _communicate_ with Jacob Black. What could I possibly say that would interest a seven year old boy?

Needless to say, I was mildly regretting my decision as I made my way to the Black residence the next day. (Alice didn't see anything threatening over the night.) I concentrated on the different scents of the area as I walked at a slow pace to the door. I smelt that fresh rain, the grass, the faint scent of Victoria's ashes… I was committing it all to memory, so that I would know if there was anything out of the ordinary, anything peculiar, in the future.

I lightly tapped on the door. I felt the tone of Billy Black's thoughts- he was very jittery, still not sure about this agreement. Jacob was wondering vaguely who was here, but was occupied playing with his toy motorcycles.

Billy tried his best to put on a smile when he opened the door. "Hello, Edward."

"Good morning, Mr. Black," I nodded.

"Oh, call me Billy. It seems we're going to be around each other enough to use my first name, don't you think?" he chuckled, getting more comfortable. I could sense that he felt more secure with me here, felt like his son was safe.

"Yes, I suppose so," I answered.

"Come on in," he said. I followed him into the living room, where Jacob was playing. His mother was on the small couch, watching the television as she drank her morning coffee.

_I can't believe we're doing this. How can we trust them? I don't like this, not at all. Oh, I should just kill Billy for agreeing to this I don't like this at all!_  
>Her mind kept going on in these circles, the coffee causing her to be more anxious. I could hear her heart racing, knowing that a vampire was present in her home made her very nervous, indeed. Not knowing what to say, (I could tell that nothing would calm this woman down), I let Billy say the first words.<p>

"Er…" he cleared his throat, and took two steps toward the couch. "Anna, this is Edward Cullen… Edward, this is my wife."

Anna reluctantly turned around. She was a very superstitious woman, raised around all of the Quileute legends. They were all racing through her head at that moment, telling her that I was evil and dangerous.

"Nice to meet you," I held out my hand courteously, knowing it was a waste of effort. She grabbed it for half a second before getting up in a rush, tensing at the coldness of my skin.

"Well, I'm going to work," she breathed. _If he hurts my baby I swear to God I'll tear him to pieces. I don't like this, damn bloodsuckers…"_

I stopped listening. I got distracted by Jacob's shock. Not surprisingly, he remembered me from the previous day, and when he finally turned around from his toys to see who was here, memories came flooding back to his mind. I was surprised, however, to see that he felt nothing but complete admiration for me, and trust. This feeling was so overpowering it would've knocked the air out of me if I was human. He thought of me as a hero… he has no idea that in reality I'm the bad guy. Still, knowing what he thought of me made me feel… well, I don't know, it just made me _feel._

I hardly noticed Billy kiss his wife good-bye and return to the living room.

"Jacob, this is Edward. I know you, uh, met him yesterday, briefly, but, uh…" Billy cleared his throat, pulling his thoughts together. "Edward will be around here a lot now, and, uh, I just thought you two would get along…" Billy really had no idea what to say next, so I stepped in.

"Hello, Jacob," I smiled.

"I remember you," he said bluntly, cocking his head to one side.

"Yes, I remember you, too," I said. I took a moment to hear what he was thinking. There was only one thought:

_Vampire?_

Well, it didn't take him long to put two things together. He was vaguely remembering Victoria's words, the way she licked her lips and crouched like some kind of animal.

"Yes, Jacob, I am a vampire," I answered his unspoken question.

"Like the woman yesterday?" he asked, that innocent childhood curiosity in his voice.

"No, she was bad. I am not." I stated simply. He believed me, of course. Billy's tension, which I hadn't been paying too much attention to before, was subsiding as we spoke. He could see that Jacob wasn't afraid of me, which was what he had been fearful of. Jacob seemed to be fearless, his mind full of questions about me, about what I could do.

_I wonder if he could fly. Does he drink blood? Is he dead?_

"I suppose I will answer all of those questions in time," I said. I noticed that this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. Jacob was now gathering that I could read his mind.

_That is so cool!_ His mind rang with excitement.

I laughed, and he did too. It was nice to just tell someone the truth about me and not have them go mad or think that I'm crazy. It was quite refreshing.

I held out my hand, "It's nice to meet you, Jacob Black."

He shook it eagerly, a big smile on his face, as if nothing was cooler than having a vampire over to visit on a Monday morning.

xxxxxxx

There was no signs of danger over the next two weeks, and although Anna Black insisted that all was well and that I should abandon this idea, I decided that it would be best to still keep an eye on things. After all, James and Laurent might be plotting their attempt, and surely two weeks wasn't enough to call things safe again.

Also, I had to admit, little Jacob Black was growing on me. I never thought I was one for children, but I found his mind quite interesting, as well as some of the things he said. Although I would never admit this to anyone, I also liked how simply accepting he was of me. Just two days ago the sun was out, and he was begging me to come outside to see his new remote control car his mother had got him. I refused of course, but after his constant begging I decided, why not? He already knows I'm not human anyway. So, I hesitantly walked out into the daylight, scanning the surroundings to make sure there was absolutely no one around.

Jacob just stared for a moment at my sparkling skin, while I looked down, ashamed of it like I have always been.

"Whoa," he said breathlessly.

Silence.

"That. is. WICKED!" he exclaimed, then went on to show me his toy without further a due.

About a week ago, he asked me how fast I could run, so I showed him.

"No way. You didn't even move!" he accused.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did," I argued.

"Liar Liar pants on fire!"

I laughed. "Would you like me to prove it to you?"

"Sure, sure," he said, giving me a daring smile. He thought I couldn't do it; he knew without a doubt that I was lying. Well, he was certainly going to enjoy this. I turned around.

"Hop on then," I said. Without any fear or hesitation, he hurriedly climbed on, his warm body latching on with complete trust that I wouldn't hurt him. I can't describe how good that made me feel.

"Ready?" I said.

"Bring it on!" Jacob replied.

So I did. I ran and ran in circles in the woods. Instead of shouting at me to stop, or getting nausceaus like I had expected him to, Jacob simply hollered in delight.

"Wooooohhoooooo! Yeeaahhh!" he laughed in exultation. He felt free. I could feel the happiness illuminating from his thoughts.

That was another thing about him: his thoughts were so vibrant and alive. Most people just think about trivial things, with a boring undertone, but Jacob was constantly thinking, constantly trying to figure things out, and I could practically _see _the thoughts in his head because they were so vivid.

After two weeks I had to go feed, so Alice and Jasper took shifts to watch over the Blacks' house while I was away. I wasn't at the house _all _of the time. I went home for periods of time when I knew things were ok, and Alice could warn me of any trouble. However, Emmett still gave me a hard time when I dropped by when I was done feeding that night.

"Well, if it isn't Supernanny!" he laughed.

"Oh, shut up," I said halfheartedly.

Everyone took turns greeting me, except for Rosalie, of course. She just wasn't like that.

"So, supernanny, how's it going over there?" Emmett asked.

"Fine." I said.

_Oh, so cute,_ I heard Esme. She found it rather touching that I was getting so close to Jacob. She thought I was so lonely before, what with me being the only one without a partner, and now she is starting to see a different kind of happiness in me. Carlisle thought this too. I had to admit that I liked to be around Jacob, but maybe they were over exaggerating a bit... well, I thought so.

Xxxxxxxx

Everything had been going smoothly for an entire year, with Alice only getting minor glimpses of potential trouble. My family and I dealt with these issues without telling Billy and Anna, so as not to panic them. We agreed that we wouldn't tell them anything unless it was absolutely necessary.

Jacob had even come to our house and slept over a couple of times. (with many protests from his mother) Esme and Carlisle and Esme welcomed him like he was like family, and although Rosalie pretended not to care, i knew that she was excited at having a child in the house. Over that year, i grew more and more attached to him. it was like he was my purpose for being alive. i felt useful for the first time since i was created, and his open acceptance of me made it that much more pleasant to be around him. All in all, he was a good kid.

It was approximately a year later, when Jacob was at a friend's birthday party that Alice got a vision of James coming into Washington.

I made sure to head straight to the house where the party was at, and kept an eye on it. I scanned the inside, listening in to peoples' thoughts, and was startled to find that Jacob wasn't there. My dead heart seemed to jump in my chest. I searched with my mind as far as I could. I couldn't hear him, so he was more than a few miles away.

I quickly called Carlisle, and he told everyone else to search for him. Once again I scanned the minds inside, to see if anyone knew where he went. There was one little girl, Bella, who had seen Jake leave with his parents only about ten minutes ago. She remembered being curious about his mom and dad, who were fighting when they picked him up.

I felt a little relieved, he was with his parents and on his way home.

My relief was short-lived.

I flipped my phone open to the sound of Alice's panicked voice. "Edward, get to the main highway, quickly! There is going to be an accident!"

I should have mentioned that it was raining that night- the roads were slippery. I ran as fast as I could, but since Anna Black had only just decided to take the main highway home instead of the side-roads, Alice didn't have enough time to warn me. I approached the scene just as it happened.

Anna lost control of the car. I stopped it but not before it had flipped over two times. I quickly lifted it right-side up, my mind intent on finding out if Jacob was ok.

"Billy! Jacob!" I called. I could see blood on the steering wheel. I could smell it. Anna was dead. I was trying hard to ignore the burning thirst in the back of my throat. I could hear the shock in Jacob's mind. Good, he was alive! I looked back to see him clutching tight to a balloon that looked like a dinosaur, his eyes open wide.

Billy Black heaved and turned slowly to look at me, "I can't feel my legs."


	3. Chapter 3

"Alice, really, stop giving yourself a hard time. If anything is to blame, its mother nature," I assured. It didn't have any affect-she still blamed herself.

It has been a week since the accident, and Billy and Jacob were busy making funeral arrangements. Alice, Jasper, and I were out hunting in one of our favorite spots.

"Really, Edward, if people keep making these quick decisions, I will be no use to anyone," she said as she emptied an elk. _Some psychic I am, _she thought sarcastically.

"Jasper, tell her it's not her fault," I said, catching a small rabbit that had tried scurrying into a bush.

"It's not your fault," he said monotonously.

"Thanks. Very helpful," I said dryly. He gave me a quick smile.

"Well, lets get back then," I said. I wanted to get back to Jacob. I had been worried about his state of mind. There were many periods over the last week where he was just blank, and then periods where he was almost back to normal. To put it into a visual example, it was as if Jacob had a container, a vault, in the back of his mind in which he shoved bad memories. He worked so hard to repress anything unpleasant, and I believe that's what he's been doing since the accident. However, whenever I asked him if he wanted to talk about it, he would simply smile and say, "No. I just wanna go for a run." So I would do as he asked. Like me, it seemed that the sensation of the miles passing quickly underneath us made him feel more peaceful. He had even fallen asleep once, his head buried in my neck, where I found a small spot of drool after I had set him in his bed.

"How is Jacob doing?" Alice asked as we made our way back home.

"He's handling it in his own way," I said vaguely. I changed the subject. "Are you sure you haven't seen anything about James since that night?"

"No, as far as I can tell James is gone. I've even looked to see if him coming was some sort of distraction, but I haven't seen a _thing._ Not that you should trust me to see anything these days!" she pouted. "Either way, we should be extra careful now."

"Yes," I agreed. I sped up my pace, more anxious to get back now. The others followed suit, and I felt Jasper controlling my nerves. I appreciated that very much.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Billy and Jacob were back home. I waited about fifteen minutes before I went up and knocked on their door.

"Come in," I heard Billy call. He already knew who it was.

As I opened the door I saw Jacob's face brighten. He hopped off the couch and ran toward me, his arms open wide.

"Edward!" he exclaimed.

"Hey," I said happily as I wrapped my arms around him. I looked up to Billy. "Good evening, Billy." He nodded in acknowledgment.

"I think I'm gonna go rest for a while." He began rolling towards his room. Jacob automatically followed so that he could help his father get into his bed. Billy had just gotten home from the hospital two days ago and Jacob already knew exactly what he needed to do to take care of him.

Jacob came back out and looked at me expectantly.

"Do tell, Jake, what do you want to do today?" I asked. He deliberated, a bunch of crazy ideas going through his head. He finally settled for the simplest option.

"Lets just go for a run." he sighed.

I was never against a good run. "Hop on."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Edward, don't even think about it!" Alice hissed. "I can tell you already that you won't be very successful."  
>We were sitting in the living room, doing nothing in particular, when she had a vision of me trying my hand at tracking. I had nearly made my decision to go for it.<p>

"You don't know that i'll fail, Alice, you're just overexaggerating what you saw," I countered.

"You looked completely lost, Edward. You've never even attempted to track another vampire before, let alone two."

"I'm tired of waiting! I want to know without a doubt that Jacob is safe, and the only way to do that-"

"is to wait for them to come here so we can all fight them together." she finished my sentenced. Honestly, how can something so small contain that much annoyance? I've asked myself that question many times over the years i've known her. However, her reasoning made sense. It was only my impatience that made me so defensive.

"Why are they waiting so long?" I asked, more to myself than her.

"How do we even know they're going to come?" she asked.

Huh. That thought had never even occurred to me before. They _had _to be coming- it was a vampire's nature to seek revenge, and i had killed James's mate. Why wouldn't he, if not Laurent, seek to avenge her death? Perhaps they were just coming up with a plan, a plan that they thought would be unstoppable. Well, we would stop them no matter what.

"Edward, are you sure that James and Laurent were as vehement about Victoria's plan as she was? Maybe they don't even care about the werewolves. In that case, our only worry would be about _your_ safety, not Jacob's, as James will probably want to rip you into a million pieces with his teeth."

The casualty of her tone made me laugh. "Wow, I can tell you're dying of worry," I said sarcastically. She giggled, sounding like wind chimes-well, that's what i've heard others describe it as.

"Either way, I'm not leaving Jacob alone for one second. Speaking of, Emmett and Rosalie have been keeping watch for quite a while now. Perhaps i should get back." I got up to leave.

_when we do get James and Laurent, what excuse are you going to use in order to stay by Jacob's side longer?_ Alice thought.

I ignored that thought as i ran through the town of Forks and into La Push. Alice didn't realize that I would protect Jacob, even if there was no other immediate danger. I didn't need an excuse.

**Ok, so this was a pretty uneventful chapter i know. However, in the next couple of chapter's, i will be going through the years pretty quickly, pinpointing the important events. For example, the next chapter will go from when Jacob is 8 until he is 12, and then in the following chapter 12 to 16, which is when he becomes a werewolf. So thank you for reading! And the story will become more exciting i promise!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jacob was dying and he knew it. He could hear Edward's cries. He could feel the venom spreading slowly through his arm, as if his arm was on fire. _Of course_, he thought_, I'm a werewolf with healing powers and I can't even live past sixteen._

The rain poured down on his face in a misty blur. Jacob could smell James and Laurent burning to a crisp, and faintly felt Edward's cold hands touch his face while he wept tearlessly.

"No, Jacob, no! I won't let this happen!" Jacob hardly heard this-he was groaning from the pain. He wished his arm would just be cut off, anything to stop this burning. Edward lifted the part of his arm that James had bitten. Then he realized that it wasn't Edward, but Carlisle.

"Edward, you can still suck the venom out," he said calmly. "It hasn't gone past the arm."

"Carlisle, I haven't hunted for three weeks… I may not be able to control myself, even if he is a werewolf," Edward said brokenly.

"It is your only option, Edward. I have to reset his kneecap before it heals wrong." It was then that Jacob felt the slight pain in his right leg. It was nothing compared to his arm. He would rather have all of his limbs broken and re-broken than have to deal with this flame any longer.

_Kill me! Just kill me! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP EDWARD! _Jacob was twitching on the ground, his heart beating way too fast. He let out an ear-piercing scream.

"I'm gonna make it stop, Jake" Edward whispered, lifting Jacob's arm toward his mouth. For a moment, the pain intensified, and Jacob screamed louder, kicking and wanting to die. Carlisle gently held him down.

But the pain was dulling down to a slight throb. Jacob breathed slowly in relief, now realizing that Edward's cold, razor-sharp teeth were inside of him, sucking out all of the venom that James had injected. He had never been more grateful for the coldness of Washington. He wanted to dunk his arm in a bucket full of ice. But more importantly, he wanted to pass out. The pain had exhausted him, and he wanted to sleep in painless bliss, with Edward right beside him.

"Edward, his blood is clean. Stop now." Carlisle said. Jacob felt his arm drop. He was trying to stay conscious, so he find out what was going on, if there was anything else that needed to be done, but he couldn't make himself move.

"Edward," he said quietly.

"I'm right here, Jake," Edward said. "Carlisle, how's his leg?"

"It is healed, but I'm afraid his other ankle has healed wrong. I am going to have to reset it."

"Go for it, doc," Jacob murmured, bracing himself for the pain. Edward lifted his head to his lap, his cold arms resting on his shoulders. There was a crack as Carlisle reset the bone. Jacob winced and bit his lip. Edward squeezed Jacob's broad shoulders and bent to rest his chin on Jacob's forehead. He felt his ankle heal for the second time.

"He's stable. We should get him to a hospital to rest-"

"No, not the hospital," Jacob interrupted weakly. "They'll see my body temperature."

"Let's take him to our house, Carlisle," Edward said.

Jacob was fighting to stay awake, his eyelids protesting with every blink. Edward scooped him up quickly, and Jacob could tell they were running. He could feel the frigid wind as they flew through the forest toward the Cullens' house. Jacob felt so safe in Edward's arms, just as he always had, ever since he was seven and Edward saved him from Victoria and her crimson eyes. He could no longer resist the temptation of sleep. He turned his head and buried it in Edward's chest. Even as he was half-conscious he was aware of the closeness, the familiar muscles underneath Edward's beige shirt. Jacob slowly lifted his arm and caressed Edward's chest, desire in his body no matter what exhausted state it was in.

Edward chuckled. Jacob felt the chuckle in his chest before he finally succumbed to his sleepiness.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

I placed Jacob gently on my bed. Billy Black was in the living room downstairs, being reassured that Jacob was perfectly alright, and that James and Laurent were both dead. It has been almost ten years, and finally the danger was gone. Jacob Black was completely safe, and I felt the relief spread like a warm fire throughout my ice-cold body. I could hardly believe it.

Carlisle was carrying Billy and his wheelchair upstairs. They entered my bedroom, and Carlisle and I decided to give them a moment of privacy, even though Jacob was completely knocked out. I could tell Billy wanted to be alone. His mind was in a state of shock, going through all that he had lost in the past nine years, and how much he had almost lost today. He, too, was relieved that this whole thing was over.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

I was lying contentedly next to Jacob. It was nearly two in the morning. I listened to his breathing, his heartbeat, his dreams. He was dreaming of me, which wasn't anything new. But sometimes the dream was interrupted by last night's events. They replayed in his unconsciousness, scenes jumping and everything blurry. I wrapped my arm around his warm body, thankful to any higher power there might be that he was safe and alive next to me.

I sighed and scooted closer, wishing that I could sleep and enjoy the sense of being together, even while unconscious. I kissed the side of his neck and lay my head next to his. He was dreaming of me again. We were at his house, on that one night just two months ago, when we first realized-

Jacob suddenly jerked awake, temporarily blind in the dark and confused as to where he was. "Good morning," I murmured. He was relieved to hear my voice and turned to face me, shoving his arm under a pillow and lying on top of it.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked groggily.

"Yes. James and Laurent are dead. Your bones are now in the right places. Everything is as it should be."

Jacob sighed. "Good." He closed his eyes, still completely relaxed. "I can't believe it's over."

"Me either," I replied. "The entire reason I was with you was to protect you, and now you don't need protecting."

_You're not gonna leave, are you?_

"Of course not. Never," I promised. How could I ever leave him? He was the reason for my existence. Now that the trouble was over, I felt even closer to him than ever. "I love you."

He opened his eyes in the darkness. He moved toward me, his warmth radiating from his skin. Our lips met. It wasn't passionate and excited, like the times before. It was calm, relieved, and slow. I placed my hand on his cheek and kissed him deeper. He pulled away, content with just lying next to me. How was I so lucky? Perhaps I should be grateful for Victoria and her insane plan, or else I would have never met him. If I did, I would have only seen him as a werewolf.

Jacob was thinking about how long he's known me. He remembered the day when Victoria attacked clearly. It still amazed me that he saw me as a hero. He still felt that way. Sometimes I thought he trusted me too much, thought I was too perfect. Of course, I thought he was perfect too and he disagreed.

He was rummaging through memories that had been put away from some time. He remembered when I would take him for runs, and falling asleep on my back. He remembered admiring me as a child and early teen, and then wishing I was never part of his life when his friends turned against him for having a bloodsucker as a friend. That was when I had to tell him the truth about why I was with him all the time. Before then he had just accepted me as a part of his life, like there was no other way it could have been.

"Any reason you're going through memory lane?" I asked, breathing into his hair, his head on my chest.

"Not really. Sometimes I just miss being a kid."

"You're sixteen, Jacob, not thirty," I chuckled. He laughed too.

"I can't imagine my life without you," he said. I rubbed his shoulder.

"Likewise. What would I have been doing for the past nine years if not being a supernanny, as Emmett would say?"

We were both silent, reminiscing all of the good and bad things that happened since we had known each other. Eventually, he fell back asleep, head snuggled in my chest, and left me to reminisce on my own…

**And now the flashbacks start The story is not over yet! Even though now we know the ending hehe**


End file.
